Columns

The following editorial excerpt was published in the Los Angeles Times on April 19.

Under its last chairman, Democrat Tom Wheeler, the Federal Communications Commission dramatically ramped up its regulation of telecommunications companies, especially those that provide broadband Internet access to the home. The commission adopted rules to preserve net neutrality, limit the collection and use of data about where people go online and subsidize broadband access services, while also slapping conditions on or flat-out opposing mergers between major broadband companies.

It all started with the river. People came to this place because the Gallinas River provided water, and water is life. When the people of this area dug the first ditch, the first acequia, they called it the Acequia Madre, the mother ditch, and that is fitting, because it was through the nurture of the river and the ditches that this community was born.

There is a time when our mother takes care of us, and, as life goes on, there is a time when we must take care of our mother.

A friend made a habit of collecting and saving Sunday bulletins for Our Lady of Sorrows Sunday church services.

Considering the number of years represented in these bulletins, it’s safe to say she was a faithful church member. Most of the bulletins that she passed on to me date back to the 1960s, and all contain a historical photo on the cover and list a slew of activities: wedding banns, a bingo prize of $230, baptisms and special events. The pastor at that time was the Rev. James T. Burke.

Everyone reading this has had some common experiences. We grew and developed in our mother’s womb. We entered this world as a newborn child. During the early years of our lives we were entirely dependent on others. Common experiences — no exceptions.

Time to assess the damage. Well over 200 pieces of legislation were passed in this year’s session at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe, though more than half of the bills handed over to the governor were vetoed. One Albuquerque Journal report declared Susana Martinez’s 145 vetoes this time around “the high-water mark” during her six years so far as governor.

Last night I had a dream. I could call it a science fiction dream, but that would be redundant, as, in retrospect, most of my dreams turn out to be unrealistic.

No, I didn’t dream about Catherine Zeta Jones (and if I ever do, I’ll make sure my wife doesn’t hear about.) This dream lacked the kind of CZJ excitement others might dream about. Instead it was on a topic that usually causes my tummy to tie up in knots.

Reforming New Mexico’s process for selecting and paying for public works projects, which is nearly universally criticized as inefficient and wasteful, will continue through administrative steps despite the lack of an appetite this year to enact reforms into law.